http://www.musesmuse.com/songwriting-store.html
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Many thanks to the sponsors that help support this newsletter!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ENTER THE INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION TODAY!
The International Songwriting Competition (ISC), is now accepting
entries for the 2008 competition. With $150,000 in cash and
prizes (including $25,000 cash) and the worlds best judges, ISC
is recognized as the leading songwriting competition in the
world. Judges for 2008 include: Tom Waits, Chaka Khan, Loretta
Lynn, Neil Finn (Crowded House), Robert Smith (The Cure), Ray
Davies (The Kinks), Weird Al Yankovick, record label execs from
Virgin, Universal, Lost Highway, MySpace Records and many more.
Entry deadline Oct 15 2008.
For entry information and list of winners from the 2007
competition, please go to: http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/

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E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :
-----------------------------------------------------------------Hi folks. Welcome to spring! (Or summer, depending on where you
are). Wow. A few weeks back, I was up to my waist in snow.
Now? The birds are singing, the grass is green and the flowers
are blooming. Unbelievable. No in between here, it would seem
(north of Toronto). We went straight from the dead of winter to
the beginning of summer. I'm just relieved the snow is gone,
frankly. Having it around that long was just getting
*depressing*. :) (And you folks in California and Florida and
those other places that never see snow? Don't rub it in. :D
Please.)
You still have until May 15th to enter and win a $200 gift
certificate for the August Retreat, "How Songwriting Really
Works"! You're running out of time though! All you need to do
is send your name and email to bryan@reorafting.com before the
deadline with "Muses Muse $200 Prize" in the subject.
There's a new Radio Muse program online now too! Radio Muse #18
can be found at http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse-18.html and is
once again hosted by the ever polished and dynamic Kevin King at
Blind Dog Audio (thanks, Kevin!). Drop by and have a listen to
your fellow songwriters, show them some support and consider
sending your own music in for consideration! All the
instructions on how to do that are located at
http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse.html . There's also an RSS
feed (if you're interested) at
http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse.rss - and you can now find the
show in the iPod Store!
We also have a new columnist joining us. Brian Donovan has been
blogging on this subject for a while, but decided to talk with us
over here at The Muse's Muse directly - and I'm very glad to have
him on board. :) He'll be talking about how to make your
creative life and your everyday life peacefully, and
productively, co-exist. You can visit his columnist section
here:
http://www.musesmuse.com/col-briandonovan.html and there's a
portion of his first article in the "Featured Article" section
below for your reading pleasure. I think you'll find it
enlightening!
Last but certainly not least, right before I get to announcing
the newest raffle winners (and remember that all you need to do
to be eligible for a raffle prize is to email me with your name
and contact information along with your top two choices for
raffle items you'd like to be in line for!), I want to make a
general call for articulate and dedicated folks who might be
interested in reviewing CDs here on The Muse's Muse. Your
reviews will appear in this newsletter, you'll have your own menu
page on The Muse's Muse, and your information will be displayed
at http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html along with some
other very dedicated reviewers. Besides that, CDs are sent
directly to you and you get to hear some *great* music. I only
ask that a reviewer provide at least three reviews per month, if
at all possible (I'm not a slave driver though, promise. :) ).
Email me at editor@musesmuse.com if you're interested, ok?
And now on to the raffle winners for the month! They are:
* Patrick Bonier, from Blaine, MN, has won a copy of
Virtual Studio Systems' Lyricist software
(http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html).
* Chris Spencer from Los Angeles, CA, has won a free 3 month
membership to SongU (http://www.songu.com/), an Internet-based
learning environment providing online coaching, co-writing and
pitching opportunities, in addition to over 70 multi-level
courses developed by award-winning songwriters.
* Sarah Honkala from Washougal, WA, has won a copy of
Bronson Herrmuth's "100 Miles To A Record Deal"
(http://www.songrepair.com/bookforweb2.htm).
* Lynn Julian (aKa Cookie Cutter Girl) from Ipswich,MA, has won a
copy of Sean Farrington's "The Little Black Book of Band Profit
Secrets" (http://www.bandprofit.com/).
* Guy-Michael Grande from Nashville, TN, has won a 6 month
subscription to the Onlinegigs (http://www.onlinegigs.com/)
service. This valuable service is a powerful tool for musicians,
agents, record companies and managers designed to virtually
automate the administration of booking and promoting a band or
bands.
* Lorna Hunt, from the Dayton area, OH, has won a copy of
Indie-Music.com's Musician's Toolkit CD
(http://www.musicianstoolkit.com/muse/)
Lots of cool stuff in this month's newsletter, so time to get to
it! Hope you're all enjoying the wonderful weather. I know I'm
find it inspirational. :)
All the best,
--Jodi
P.S. - In case any of you are interested, I have new demos online
on my Voice Overs & Vocals website at
http://www.voiceoversandvocals.com/demos.html . Feel free to
drop by and have a listen (I'd love to hear your opinion!).
And if you need a voice for a project, let me know! :)

Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Many thanks to the sponsors that help support this newsletter!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LAST MONTH TO ENTER THIS YEAR - USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION
Win $50,000 Grand Prize worth of cash, cool music gear from Sony,
Ibanez Guitars, D'Addario Strings, Audio-Techica, Ik Multimedia
and more! Not to mention radio airplay for winning songs. Judges
include A&R from Universal, SONY/BMG, Capitol Records and Warner.
Hurry, this is the last month to enter! Get entry from here:
http://www.songwriting.net/mm.html
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M u s i c R e v i e w s : Bhasker Gupta & Chip Withrow
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Would YOU like the opportunity to review great music and have
your name up in lights? ;) Email me at editor@musesmuse.com if
you're interested in becoming a reviewer for The Muse's Muse.
Your fellow artists will thank you!
NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:
Chip Withrow:
* Adam Burrows
http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-adamburrows-never.html
* Andy Baker
http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-andybaker-down.html
* Trapper Schoepp Band
http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-trapperschoepp-change.html
* Chris Unck
http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-chrisunck-countryroads.html
* Russ Glenn
http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-russglenn-newearth.html
Bhasker Gupta:
* Neil Welch
http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-neilwelch-narmada.html
JJ Biener:
* GromKo
http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-gromko-convert.html
For bios on each of the reviewers, see
http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html . If you're
considering sending in your own CD for review, you can also view
that page to find out which reviewer reviews your genre. Thanks!
Back to Menu
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N e w A r t i s t S p o t l i g h t A d d i t i o n s :
Great music is only a click away!
Here are just some of the great CDs highlighted in the
Artist Spotlight section of The Muse's Muse at
http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Johnny Om - Genre: SINGER/SONGWRITER
Johnny Om's first recording for Organically Grown Music is an
intriguing collection of catchy melodies, social satire, and
musical invention that defies categorization. Johnny's pleasantly
warped sound combines a variety of styles to create a compelling
and soulful musical journey into the contemporary American
mindset.
http://www.organicallygrown.com/
-----
Christopher Taylor - Genre: SINGER/SONGWRITER
Christopher's music subtly conveys a sense of spirituality and
self-inquiry. Strong melodies, solid rhythms and richly textured
harmonies make a powerful backdrop for personal evolution.
REMAINS TO BE SEEN offers unique ways of expressing the growing
pains of a world on the brink of evolving beyond itself.
http://www.organicallygrown.com/
-----
The Bodhi Brothers - Genre: FOLK
Organically Grown marks the Bodhi Brothers' first recording. This
is a fun collection of acoustic-based music, with flavors of
folk, blues, and country jazz. Largely instrumental, this CD's
mellow, front-porch-style playing features The Bodhi Brothers
doing what they do best, having themselves a good time in the
studio.
http://www.organicallygrown.com/

I confess to a weakness for biographies. The lives of people who
have accomplished things can be inspirational in a variety of
ways. The story of what they have done wrong and right along the
way to success, how they dealt with setback and failure, make
fascinating reading. In the case of songwriters, understanding
where and how they struggled, whether with personal issues or
matters of craft, humanize them. Although the story of Amy
Winehouse is really just beginning (we hope), it has been
eventful, to say the least. With only two albums (and a rocky
start for the first) under her belt, her string of awards is
admirable. Critical reviews have suggested that she was
responsible for a resurgence of R&B in contemporary pop. Based on
this, I looked forward to reading about her musical roots and how
she managed to overcome the inertia the music business is filled
with to bring R&B them to popularity. Hey, I love R&B.
Much of this story is told from a distance. Many people
significant to the story, including Amy Winehouse herself, did
not participate in Johnstone's research for this book. As a
result, there are not as many insights into her character as you
might expect. It is an unauthorized story. From a songwriter
point of view, however, that worked out all right, because it
forced the author to spend more time on her professional career
and less on her personal life—although her personal demons
certainly figure prominently in the telling. The source material
is heavily dependent on her producers and people that worked with
her and her songs. And that last part—people who worked with her
songs—is important in understanding her body of work. After years
of being around recording and reading about the industry, I was
amazed to find how many people directly involved in Amy
Winehouse's two albums did not ever work with her. In some cases,
she simply recorded her voice and guitar, and left the final
sound to the producers. It wasn't even quite clear if that was
her choice, or someone else's, but that fact figures to a degree
in the end product that we hear. As a songwriter very attached to
my songs, I would have liked to learn more about that decision.
Again the wording is important. She left it to the producers,
because each of the two albums had two separate producers. They
worked in a different location, with different musicians.
Johnstone spends a fair amount of the book detailing this
process, and presenting viewpoints of some of the key figures
involved. Clearly Winehouse's mark is on the productions. Her
love of urban and early R&B music was taken into account as the
work went on. She liked Reggae grooves as well, and they come
through in the songs. Some top musicians helped make those albums
what they were. Interestingly, the bulk of the praise for her
work centers on the writing a (small) handful of songs and her
vocal treatments. Apparently she makes many listeners think of
older, mature blues singers. I find the assessment odd, but then
I would guess it depends on your own background. To me she simply
sounds like a young woman who listened to a lot of older records
and picked up some of the stylings. But then, I review books, not
singers.
If you are looking for the inside scoop on the life and times of
Amy Winehouse, this will probably only tease you. But if you are
interested in her recording career to date—some detail of how
labels and producers work with emerging talent—then this could be
for you.
******
ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
Ed Teja has been working on his own music and now his new CD --
"SOFT DREAMING BLUES" has been released released by Morrhythm
Records (http://www.outstandingmusic.com/). It's a collection of original
(written alone and with an international group of cowriters)
smooth jazz vocals and instrumentals. Ed has appeared at strange
venues in Hong Kong, Canada, St. Martin, Bequia, Venezuela,
Grenada and Trinidad, as well as the Silver City (New Mexico)
Blues festival and the Tucson (Arizona) Folk Festival.
You can hear some of Ed’s music at: http://www.myspace.com/edteja
If you'd like *your* book reviewed (as long as it has something
to do with songwriting, of course!), please do email us and let
us know!
Back to Menu
=================================================================
S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Many thanks to the sponsors that help support this newsletter!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BRETT MANNING'S SINGING SUCCESS SYSTEMATIC VOCAL TRAINING SYSTEM:
It's the "secret weapon" used by some of the winners of the
world's most prestigious vocal awards, including the Doves, the
CMA Awards, and yes, the Grammies.

Learn the one mistake even professional singers make, that drains
away 3 times more vocal energy and yields only half the needed
vocal power. Find out about the 3 simple exercises that allow
even a "beginner" to make rapid increases in range (this also
eliminates vocal strain). Learn Brett's secret for "dissolving"
your break, so you'll never have to flip into falsetto again, but
you'll still sing as high as you want--in full voice - and LOTS
more.

The package includes 12 audio CDs (packed with 17 repeatable
lessons, including both technique--the simple, yet powerful
exercises, and style lessons for building vocal licks and
trills); a workbook for illustration; and a DVD for visual
reference and demonstration. It's a complete course - and it has
a money-back guarantee!

Visit http://tinyurl.com/35t3lz for more details and start
yourself on the road to improving your vocal chops today!
=================================================================
M u s i c a l N o t e s : Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
In the interest of conserving space, I will only be including
changes to this listing in this newsletter. All other contests
and market information that have already been listed here, are
displayed at http://www.musesmuse.com/contests.html &
http://www.musesmuse.com/markets.html . Please check there
regularly for updates!
-----------------------------------------------------------------2ND ANNUAL HOW SONGWRITING REALLY WORKS RETREAT, Nahatlatch River, British Columbia (near Vancouver BC)August 10-15, 2008 with Wayne Chase, author of How Music ReallyWorks & Nancy Bos

How Songwriting Really Works: Techniques & Secrets of the World¹s
Greatest Songwriters is designed for songwriters committed to
writing songs that will stand the test of time. Retreat leader
Wayne Chase is the author of "How Music Really Works", a
comprehensive presentation of the music and lyrical techniques of
writing classic songs. This retreat will be unlike anything
else available anywhere in the world. Wayne is a music scholar
and has studied music and language for over 25 years from the
perspective of how our brain processes words and music and the
emotional value of words. Wayne holds 5 patents in connotative
analysis and is one of the worlds leading experts on the
emotional meaning in language. Wayne is also the creator of the
Gold Standard Song List, a compilation of 5,000 of the greatest
songs of all time in 11 genres. Details on Wayne¹s work at
http://www.howmusicreallyworks.com/Index.html. Nancy Bos,
Seattle's premier vocal and performance coach, will lead several
interactive sessions that will be very helpful for all singer
songwriters. The all-inclusive cost for the 6-day event including
15 meals, beverages, snack, full use of resort amenities,
adventure activity ($125 value) and all workshop sessions starts
at just $850 US per person (camping option) and $975 US (shared
cabin tent option).